It is believed that women will often try to hide the difficult symptoms they are experiencing from fear of being seen as a bad mother or having their baby taken away.

The trust runs a community-based service, the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service, for mums who are experiencing mental health difficulties during pregnancy or for a year after birth.

The team also supports expectant mothers who are currently well but have experienced mental health difficulties in the past, as well as fathers and partners, to ensure they get the help, reassurance and support they need.

Hayley Miller, who used the SPMHS in 2017, speaks about how the service really helped her: "I first realised something wasn’t quite right five months after the birth of my second child.

"I was feeling emotional, crying a lot, feeling anxious and so panicked that I was frightened to leave the house. I just didn’t feel myself and was really struggling, so I went to A&E.

"In A&E, I was assessed by a mental health specialist, who gave me medication and spoke to me about the Specialist Perinatal Mental Health Service.

"Immediately after meeting the team I felt safe - like someone had wrapped their arms around me to protect me.

"The specialist nurse helped to normalise things for me – to help me realise how many mums suffer with their mental health when having babies, and I honestly feel that without her support I would not be where I am now.

"I cannot thank the team enough. I am a nurse myself, and am proud to share my story and show other mums out there that it is completely possible to recover, be able to go back to work but most importantly, be able to enjoy your family."

The SPMHS has four teams of mental health professionals which include psychiatrists, nurses, psychologists, parent-infant psychotherapists and nursery nurses.

SPMHS is able to offer face to face clinics at a range of different locations across Sussex and East Surrey, including in the family home.

Consultant psychiatrist Dr Jennifer Cooke said: "Welcoming a new baby is a very special time but for some mothers, particularly where there is a history of mental illness, it can also be overwhelming as they are worried about what affect their pregnancy will have on their mental wellbeing.

"With support from our specialist teams they now don’t have to cope on their own.

"We would urge anybody who has concerns about their mental health to speak to their GP, midwife or health visitor, to seek the specialist help that they might need."